Paulina Quintao – Three HIV/AIDS patients are receiving intensive treatment at the Bairo-Pite clinic for complications of their compromised immune systems.

Bairo-Pite clinic director Dr Dan Murphy said HIV/SAIDS was a significant problem in Timor-Leste due to porous borders. "HIV rates are increasing," he said.

Dr Dan said 40 people were undergoing anti-retroviral treatment at Bair-Pite. He said the clinic had sufficient medicine stocks as the medication was provided through a global fund which is administered through the Ministry of Health.

Dr Dan said education was an important step to preventing the spread of the disease. He said sufferers were often unaware they had the disease, and as a result, passed it on to others.

National Commission to Combat HIV/AIDS – Timor-Leste (CNCS-TL) executive secretary Daniel Marcal said the commission had a big role to play in the prevention of the disease, along with government institutions, civil society groups and religious authorities.

CNCS-TL is conducting a campaign to educate people about the transmission of the virus and prevention methods aimed at Dili residents and those living near the Indonesian border.

"We will coordinate with the National Commission to Combat AIDS/HIV Indonesia to disseminate the information to border areas such as Oe-cusse, Batugade and Suai as it is people in these communities who are most likely to get the virus, particularly youth," he said.

Ministry of Health statistics show 426 cases of HIV/AIDS were diagnosed between 2003 and March 2014.

Source: http://www.thediliweekly.com/en/news/health/12810-hiv-rates-on-the-rise